In the game of golf the condition of the golf course can play a significant role in the progress and/or success of a game, with particular emphasis being placed on the condition of the greens, which should have as smooth or uniform a surface as possible in order to ensure that a golf ball travelling across the green with not be disturbed from its intended course, notwithstanding various designed features of the green such as camber, etc. The surface of a green can be damaged or disturbed due to the impact of a golf ball landing, in particular directly, from any significant height, for example when a ball is pitched onto the green. The landing of the ball can produce a depression in the surface of the green, otherwise know as a pitch mark, which can then result in an unintended and unacceptable deviation of a subsequent golf ball rolling across the green over such a depression.
This is a well known and long standing issue in the game of golf, and as a result there are numerous tools and devices which have been developed to enable a golfer or professional greens keeper to repair such pitch marks.
WO 2011/117425 discloses a pitch mark repair tool having a front surface which is applied against the surface of a golf green. A handle is mounted on a body behind the front surface for reciprocal movement towards and away from the front surface, and several prongs are carried by the handle which reciprocate, as the handle is reciprocated, between an extended position wherein the prong extends forwardly of the front surface for penetrating the golf green and a retracted position wherein the prong is at least partially retracted behind the front surface.
The prongs of the devices described in WO 2011/117425 may be straight or may helical, i.e. having a corkscrew shape. In preferred embodiments, the prongs are rotated or screwed into the ground as they pass through the front surface and into the ground, and are then withdrawn without rotation to assist in pulling the earth upwards. In other embodiments, the prongs, whether straight or helical, are driven straight into the ground and withdrawn without any rotation.